Below are the faces and names of just a few of the people who have worked hard for over three years to develop the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 — the best bike plan in America.

It has been a long road to get here, and without the dedication of our advo-crats in the Portland Building it would not be as stellar as it is. There are obviously many, many more people that helped make this plan great. To everyone who was a part of this effort: Thank you.

Mia Birk

Dan Bower

Ellen Vanderslice

Roger Geller

Linda Ginenthal

Mark Lear

Paul Smith

Robert Pickett

Greg Raisman

Jay Graves

Robert Burchfield

Denver Igarta

For anyone interested in going back down the road, browse the 66 articles of Bike Plan coverage in my archives dating back to February ’07. From the rides Roger Geller led to gather public input, to the policies in the plan, to the infamous funding cut by Mayor Potter and much more.

I hope the stories and photos serve as a monument to this effort. And remember, while the relationship between BikePortland and PBOT has changed a lot since my coverage of this plan began, one thing has not changed — my deep respect and appreciation for the work you all do on our behalf.

NOTE: At BikePortland, we love your comments. We love them so much that we devote many hours every week to read them and make sure they are productive, inclusive, and supportive (heck, sometimes we even fix your typos!). That doesn't mean you can't disagree with someone. It means you must do it with tact and respect. This is our business and we do not tolerate mean commenters who add nothing of value to the discussion.

Unfortunately, we are not robots and we don't always catch everything. You can help by notifying us if you see inappropriate comments. Thanks! — Jonathan and Michael

Thanks much for covering the development of this bike plan, and providing frequent, interactive coverage. Your chronicling of the 3 years it took to get the plan developed and approved offer instruction to other cities, and will be an invaluable resource to future historians.

I think Jonathan deserves quite a bit of credit for keeping the plan moving along.

My understanding is that in spring 2007, mayor Tom Potter cut funding for Bike Plan development. Without funding, the plan would have moved very slow and not amounted to much of a document.

Jonathan kept bicyclists informed of this and published a series of deft, deep-cutting, thought provoking posts on the situation, including planting seeds in peoples’ mind, like “Funding cut is opportunity for activism.”

What could have been an “oh well, what did we expect from City Hall?” defeatist mindset became a “Let’s get out and show our love for the Bike Master Plan” event.

Largely as a result of his rallying the troops, over 200 people — “well over twice the usual amount” — rode on the next “Bike Plan Ride” with Roger Geller. And within 10 days, Bike Plan funding was restored.

Without supportive media like BikePortland.org, the bike plan could have suffered a serious setback in 2007, and we would not be celebrating the approval of a World-Class Bike Plan this week.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU I couldn’t say it enough times. I’m deeply grateful not only for the dedication and hard work that all of these people do professionally, but also for the time taken out of your personal lives to attend meetings and support the community. It’s a serious expression of your honor and dedication. And I second Ted’s comment that Jonathan deserves a great deal of credit too. While you may not have been involved in the creation of the plan from a design perspective, there’s no question that it would be a shell of it’s current state without your support. And similarly to all the people who have written letters, attended rallys, and made signs. thank YOU too.

[…] that the most influential group of its large bicycling community is heralding the 2030 plan as the best in America. In Los Angeles, bicycling die-hards have gotten by with lukewarm support from public officials […]